Kara Riley has been Oro Valley's Police Chief for thirteen weeks. Most of that time, Riley has been dealing with the impact of Covid-19 and the resultant economic shutdown. According to Riley, "Its been very busy but very rewarding."
First step: Protect the Officer
Working on ensuring that the police force was healthy and could maintain its health was the first step. "We immediately began mitigating things and looking at their personal protective equipment ("PPE")." Initial focus was on dispatchers and first line patrol officers.
To an extent, the officers were already prepared. In 2017, Lt. John Teachout invented a “Go Bag”. Every officer gets one the day they start. It has PPE gear such as an N95 mask, booties, a full outfit, and gloves. In addition, the spouse of one officer made masks for all.
In addition, the town has altered its: "You call for a cop. You get a cop." approach. Medical calls go to Golder Ranch Fire District ("GRFD"). A police officer joins the call if there is potential violence involved.
The challenge is to protect the health of the officer and the caller. The result is that there have been no officer exposures to Covid-19 and no active cases.
Second Step: Reach out to the senior community
"We've reached out and phoned every member [of the voluntary police], 100 people, to make sure that they are doing OK. Daily we reach out to Sun City just to make sure that there is nothing we are missing with our senior community. They are our most vulnerable. I want to insure that they have everything that they need." This includes following up on the many calls the department received from worried family members requesting house checks.
Oro Valley's retail stores are opening. Riley anticipates an increase in crimes of opportunity, particularly shoplifting. "I believe we will see an uptick in crimes there."
Use a community approach to Covid-19 restriction enforcement
The Oro Valley Police have taken a soft approach to enforcement of restrictions. The officer provides a letter of rules and recommendations when there is a complaint. "And then, we leave it at that." Enforcement in this area is a challenge because "...these are not laws we were brought up under."
Focus on seamless service
"We want residents to see no transition," regardless of how long the pandemic emergency lasts. When it comes to our town, "Service will be seamless."
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